Clothes-washer.



W. F. MASTERS.

CLOTHES WASHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. Il, 1913.

l ,Q3 l 68 :Il A Patented J 1113T 3, 191.7,

ZKM/1@ 552%@ Allarme] WILLIAM F. MASTERS, 0F STERLING, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTHES-W'ASHER.

Application led March 17, 1913.

T0 all to/tom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM F. MASTERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sterling, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inClothes- TVashers, of which the following is a. speciiication.

My invention relates to devices for washing clothes, said inventionbeing designed as an improvement over a similar device Conceived by meand described in an application dated Feb. 9, 1907, and bearing Serial#$56,540.

As its primary object, the invention aims to provide improved valvemeans forming a part of what is commonly known as a clothes pounder,which means, upon movement of the device in one direction is adapted toretain air under pressure therein and, upon movement of the device inanother direction, break or partly break the vacuum formed thereinduring such movement.

The invention, as a further object, conteniplates a structure whereinaccess may be had to the interior parts or walls of the device topermit, after continued use, the cleansing thereof, and the removal ofaccumulating substances such as dried soap and the like.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as areillustrated in their preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings,described in the following specification and then more particularlypointed out in the claim which is appended hereto and forms a part ofthis application.

In describing my invention in detail referonce will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in vwhich Figure 1is a side elevation of a clothes washer or pounder constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating in detail thestructure of the valve forming a part thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve casing;

Fig. 11 is a similar view of the valve;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the manner in which the valve structureis connected to the shell or body of the device; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified form of valve.

Referring now to the drawings by nur Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917. Serial No. 754,878.

merals, 1 designates the shell or body of the device, which, in thepresent instance is substantially oval and to a certain extentfrusto-conical. Uprights 2 ai'e connected to the shell 1 by means of thefrustum braces 3, the latter being secured to the said shell in anysuitable manner, but preferably by soldering'. A handle f1 connects theupriglits 2, said handle having, as indicated at 5, 'races in engagementtherewith. An additional brace designated 6 is soldered as at 7 to theuprights 2, said brace being arched to engage the handle l at a point 8intermediate its ends.

The Lipper portion of the interior of the shell 1 is provided with acompartment 10 which is formed by a partition 11 extending across theshell. Said partition 11 is provided with a single opening 12 throughwhich air, during a washing operation, is forced, the air being confinedunder pressure within the compartment 10. The top 13 of the shell 1 isprovided with a central opening 141, said opening receiving a cup-shapedmember 14 having a flange 15 disposed'to overlap the edge of the openingand rest upon the upper surface of the said top to which it is solderedor otherwise secured. The cup 14 is also provided with an opening 16which opening is alined with the opening 12. Cup 141 is further providedwith internal screw threads 17 which receive the external screw threads18 upon one end of a valve casing 19. `The valve casing 19 iscylindrical in form, having its lower end entirely open and its upperend partially closed, to in this manner form a constricted opening 20alined with openings 16 and l2 aforesaid. A metallic strip 2l is bentsubstantially in the shape of an inverted U, having, as illustrated toadvantage in Fig. 3, its ends 22 soldered or otherwise suitably securedto the upper end of the casing. Said strip 21 being positioned directlyover the opening 2O of the casing 19, it is apparent that a protectordevice is provided therefor.

Loosely disposed within the valve casing 19 is a closed end cylindricalvalve 24e. Said valve 24 being of less diameter, and shorter in lengththan the casing 19, the difference in size, as is obvious, will effectan air passage way between the inner wall of the casing and the outerwall of the valve.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings a modied lform of the valve is shown, the saidmodified form consisting of a central portion 25 which has annularflanges 26 and 27 formed upon its respective ends. Caps er othersuitable endclosures 2S and 29 provided with flanges 30 and 31 aresecured to the central portion 25. The opening 16 in the lower end ofthe cap 14 is of a size suliiciently large to permit the cap or closure29 to extend therethrough so that the flange 31 of the same will restupon the inner surface of the lower end of the cap, while the opening 20in the upper end of the valve casing 19 is of a diameter to permit thecap or closure 2S to extend therethrough so that the flange 30 will restagainst the inner edge of the upper end of the valve casing. In allother respects the modied form shown in Fig. 6 is the same as thatpreviously7 described as the preferred form.

Operation is as followsz-The clothes pounder is operated by giving it arocking motion, this, by moving the handle alternately away from andtoward the operator. As the pounder rests on that longitudinal edge ofthe shell which is next to the operator, and is rockedby the handle overtoward the other longitudinal edge until the shell lies llat upon theclothes, the water, rushing with and through the clothes into theseveral compartments of the shell, com-` pressing the a'ir therein, theair passing through the opening 12 and into the chamber 10 therefor. Aslong as the air is thus compressed, the valve member 2a, by reason ofits pressure therebeneath is forced into the position indicated in Fig.2 to close the opening 28 of the casing. A reverse movement of the shellwill cause a vacuum to `be formed therein and, as the air pressureexterior-ly of the casing is greater than the pressure within, the valvemember 24 will automatically or by gravity fall from the positionindicated in the said Fig. 2 to' close' the opening 16 of the cap.During such fall, air is permitted to enter the interior of the shellthrough the casing` 19 to partially break thev vacuum and in this mannerprovide for a second operation in the manner above set forth.

copies of this patent may te obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings it is apparent that the air and water are forced through theclothes acted upon to in this manner thoroughly cleanse and wash thesame; that the entire valve may be removed as well as the cap lei',thereby permitting the interior of the chamber 10 to be cleaned; andthat by the automatic operation of the valve 24C, the openings 23 and 16are alterl natelv opened and closed in a manner necessary tooperation.

In reductiontopractice, I have found that the form of my invention,illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, asthe preferred embodiment, is the most ellicient and practical; yetrealizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my devicewill necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minorchanges in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of partsmay be resorted to, when required, without sacrilicing any of theadvantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and,desire to secure by Letters Patent, is y In a clothes pounder, thecombination of a shell having a compartment formed therein at the top,said compartment being in communication with the lower portion of theshell, said shell having a valve casing, provided with an opening ateither end, with one of said openings in communication with thecompartment, and a valve reciprocable in said casing spaced from thesides thereof whereby during oscillation of the shell the valve will beoscillated automatically to alternately close the openings in the valveeasing to alternately create and relieve the vacuum within thecompartment.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses."WILLIAM F. lhiASTER-S.y

Titncsses J. H. NEWTON, S. R; BRINKLEY.

Commissioner oi Patents.

Washington, D. C.

